


Bringing back the past

by Deathlysilence



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Minor Character Death, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-28
Updated: 2018-05-13
Packaged: 2019-01-25 20:19:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 14,166
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12540380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Deathlysilence/pseuds/Deathlysilence
Summary: A few years after canon where Adrien comes back from America after college to see how his old friends are. Marinette changed an awful lot and Adrien can't seem to figure out why.(They still have the miraculous)Pre-revealI don't own Miraculous or any of the characters





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not entirely sure where I got this idea, but whatever.
> 
> If I make any mistakes in my grammar or spelling, please let me know
> 
> (I don't own any of the miraculous characters)

Adrien stepped off of his plane onto hot tarmac. All of the memories invaded his mind. Memories of soaring across the bright sky, memories of laughter, and of his childhood. He took a deep breath. "I'm home" Adrien walked out of the airport, only to be greeted by Nino. 

Nino had changed a lot in four years. He got taller, his shoulders were broader and he had a stronger jawline. Not to mention his voice got much deeper.  
"Adrien!" Nino yelled upon seeing him, " How've you been?"  
Nino was one of the few people Adrien had stayed in contact with after he left for college. Along with Alya and Marinette. Unfortunately, he kind of stopped messaging her after she got her first big job. He didn't mean to, it just happened.  
Alya had messaged him a few times a week, making sure he'd eaten and kept up with his classwork. She had turned out to be quite the mother friend, whether she knew it or not. She and Nino have been dating seriously for about four years.  
Adrien realised this about ten minutes before he left for America. They were seeing him off from the airport when he saw them holding hands. It didn't really surprise much though, as they went to prom together.

"Dude? Adrien..ADRIEN." Nino was yelling in his ear, obviously noticing his friend had zoned out.  
"Dude, are you ok?" Adrien looked up at his closest friend.  
"Yeah, I just can't believe I'm back here after four whole years...I just can't express how excited I am to see everyone again. Bar Chloe." Nino snickered at his comment. Adrien found himself smiling as well. "She basically paid her way into my college just to be close to me. It got really weird."  
"Hey..I heard about Gabriel, I'm sorry about that."

Adrien didn't really think about when his father died anymore. It had scarred him for life. As cruel as Gabriel had been to Adrien when he was a teenager, he still loved his father. When he left for college, he completely blocked out all of the memories of his father. It was a coping mechanism.  
"Nah, don't worry about it." Adrien sighed. "I kinda want to go back there at least one more time." Nino smiled, knowing where he meant.   
"Sure thing buddy."

And with that, they left the airport


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien goes back to his childhood home with Nino.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this story got 200 views since yesterday?! That's so cool. Seriously, thank you!

As Adrien walked up to the gate, he examined the front of the house. It still looked mostly the same, but it definitely aged since he'd left for college. 

He entered the password, which was surprisingly the same, and he gazed at the automatic gate as it opened. Why was he so nervous? Maybe he still expected to see his father standing tall on the top of the stairs. Maybe he wanted to see his old room, where he'd stayed in for the most of his childhood. Or maybe he just wanted to experience leaping out of his window as Chat Noir again.  
"Are you sure you still want to go in there? You seem reluctant." Nino watched his friend carefully, making sure he wouldn't break out in tears or something like that. Adrien raised his head high and stepped onto the short walkway to the steps. With every step he remembered a different time he'd spent here in Paris. From walking home after school to sneaking out as Chat. He also recalled the time Nino was akumatised, only because he wasn't allowed to have a birthday party. Nino really was the best friend he'd ever had.

As he reached the last step, he pulled out the old door key. He was surprised he even kept it, as part of him never wanted to step foot in that house again, even though it technically belonged to him now. The house wasn't the only thing he'd inherited from his father. He'd also taken over the Agreste fashion business and received a huge amount of money. It was how he afforded one of the best colleges in America.  
He pushed the stiff door open.  
__________  
"Woah..." Nino was awestruck at how clean the place still was despite no one stepping foot in there for three years. A flashback of Gabriel in this room crossed Nino's mind, but he shook it out of his head.  
"I'm...I can't believe I came back." When Adrien said this, Nino looked at him quizzically. "What are you talking about?" Adrien sighed and continued his sob story.  
"When my father died, I came back for the funeral. It was in that room," Adrien guestured to a room on their right, "That I was told the house was mine to keep. I didn't want this house. The memories of being locked in my room, of my mother, of.." Adrien refrained from mentioning him being Chat Noir, as the public still didn't know who him and Ladybug were, surprisingly. "Just all of those memories, it was too much for me to handle thinking about every day. So, I bought a nice, smaller house about a mile from here. I haven't been there in ages because of college, but that's where I went during the first summer break from college."  
Nino listened in, trying to make sense of the story. He didn't know half if the crap Adrien went through as a child, and he didn't really want to, but he knew this was still a fragile topic.  
"Do you want to see your old room?" Nino desperately wanted to cheer Adrien up. He'd only been back in Paris for about an hour and he already wanted to run away again. "Uh, sure I guess."  
The two walked up the staircase to Adrien's room. As he pushed in the door, he realised that he didn't move or get rid of anything he had in his room. It was the exact same. The only difference was the smell. It used to always smell of Camembert cheese, thanks to Plagg. The air was thick with dust. Adrien walked over to the window he always lept out of as Chat. He opened it.  
"Dude, it's the exact same as it was. How have you never come back to reclaim this stuff?" Nino recalled the time when Simon Says was after Gabriel and he and Adrien were told to stay in his room. Nino remembered his first time seeing the room. He smiled at the nostalgia.  
Adrien looked out of the windows and onto Paris. He really missed jumping across the roofs with his lady. Maybe he still could someday. He sighed and turned to Nino. "Really want to see everyone again." Nino displayed an emotion Adrien could only describe as when you remember something important that you forget to do.  
"Well shit." Nino looked at his watch. "We're so late, come on, Alya will kill me for this." Nino started running to his car and Adrien followed him curiosly, only stopping to lock the front door.  
"Nino... is everything ok?" Adrien looked at his friend, somewhat worried.  
"Well you're late for your own coming home party." Nino stated, only realising what he'd said after. "Shit! Please act surprised, for my sake. Please!" Nino was begging and Adrien was struggling to contain his laughter. "Sure thing buddy."

And with that Nino turned on his car and took off down the road to the mystery location of the party


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien arrives at the party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Just wanted to say thanks for 400 views. Also, I might not be able to update again for a while because I'm going back to school tomorrow. I'll try my best to update.
> 
> As usual please let me know if there's any mistakes.

Adrien and Nino arrived at the park across from Marinette's family bakery. Of all the parks in Paris, this one was still his favourite. He got out of the car and was greeted with a huge 'welcome back!' sign. He couldn't see anyone around. In fact , even Nino disappeared.   
Adrien walked over to the huge sign, which was hanging between two larger trees. He looked around him and only saw a mother and child walking outside the park.  
"WELCOME BACK!"   
Adrien was nearly deafened from Alya's unholy screech. All at once a flood of people crushed him in a huge hug. Only when the last person let go did he see how much everyone had changed.   
Nathaniel had grown an awful lot, but still wasn't as tall as Nino or himself. He kept his hair at the same length, but it definitely suits him.  
Rose still had the same haircut, but her features had matured greatly. Juleka was still very tall and slim, but she did look a bit happier now than she did all that time ago. Rose and Juleka have been dating for about two years, but everyone knew they liked each other.  
Kim and Max were too, much taller and had broader shoulders. They too had been dating for years.   
Alix was still pretty short, but she still was just as feisty as before.   
Sabrina had longer hair and she no longer needed her glasses. She stopped being friends with Chloe maybe six years ago, and Sabrina had turned out to be quite nice.  
Mylène still has her dreadlocks and she's still generally the same, but she's matured. Her and Ivan are still dating, ever since Adrien had joined the class.   
Alya had cut her hair to her shoulders, which made her look very serious and mature. She had stopped growing before prom, so she was kind of short.  
Marinette was stood furthest from him. She was far taller than she once was. She looked very intelligent and serious. Well, she was a famous designer. She was even dressed in her own outfit. Her midnight hair was tucked into a messy bun and she stood tall and serious.  
Adrien almost teared up knowing all of his old friends had made time for him.  
Nino had somehow set up a DJ station in the park, and started playing music. Most people here hadn't seen each other in months or years, so at least Adrien wasn't the only one who needed to catch up with people. He started chatting with Alya. She had been doing a course in journalism and she got a great job.   
"So what have you been doing?" Alya was looking at Adrien for a bit before he answered with, "I'm not proud of it. I changed my course about three times in two years and I still don't know what I want to do with my life, unlike everyone else here."   
All Alya could do was blink. 'Is that what this boy has been going through?' Alya asked herself. She didn't know what to do so she just hugged him awkardly.   
When she let go she said she'd get him some water, and she walked away. Adrien looked around. He wondered how all of these people felt knowing they'd all been akumatised, bar Marinette. He wondered if it ever haunted them. Or if they ever remembered what they did. Like how Alya, or Lady Wifi, almost revealed Ladybug's identity.   
He jumped when he realised Marinette walked up to him.   
" Adrien", she began,"Are you alright, you seem deep in thought." Adrien noticed that Marinette wasn't as stuttery as she had been. She also spoke in a deadpan voice, which was very out of character for her.  
"Uh, yeah, I'm fine. I was just wondering how everyone gets on, knowing they've been akumatised in the past. I know you haven't been akumatised by the way."  
"Nor have you." Marinette chimed in, clearly trying to piece together what he was saying. She tucked a piece of hair that fell from her bun behind her ear.  
"I still can't believe Gabriel was Hawkmoth." Marinette slowly turned her head away from her ex-classmates to Adrien. She was the one who ripped the miraculous from Hawkmoth's suit. The look on her face when she saw who it was is something you'd pay money to see.   
Adrien was heartbroken knowing his own father had terrorised Paris for years on end. Adrien looked at Marinette, who was concentrated on her phone. She placed a hand on his shoulder and tried to quickly comfort him. Her phone started ringing and she glanced at Adrien before picking up.  
Adrien wandered off to the table that was laden with treats from cookies to cakes. Marinette's parents obviously knew about this get together. Adrien thought about what Marinette had said. It wasn't publicly announced that Gabriel was Hawkmoth, so how did she know? Adrien tried not to think about it for too long.   
************  
After the party finished, he thanked everyone for setting it up. He called a cab and went to the apartment he called home.  
When he went in the door he was greeted with Plagg sitting on his couch, asleep, surrounded with books. 'That's... odd. Why would Plagg of all things, be reading? Voluntarily as well.'  
Adrien looked out his window. It wasn't that dark yet. He looked at Plagg again. " PLAGG" Adrien shouted when Plagg started munching on a book in his sleep. Plagg woke up with a start. He looked up at Adrien and sighed. "I know you want to go out. Just do it before I change my mind."   
Adrien smirked as he yelled, "Plagg, claws out!" And with that, he lept out his window.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat enjoys the beautiful sights of Paris with an unexpected guest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for 650 views!  
> Sorry I can't update more often but I'll try to be more active.
> 
> As usual please let me know if I copy any stories or if I make any grammar mistakes.

Chat emerged from the window of his apartment and bound across the rooftops of businesses and homes. He ran as fast as his legs would allow, not stopping until he landed in front of the ethereal beauty that was the Eiffel Tower.  
Chat always liked the tower. He enjoyed sitting at the top and looking over the city he was partially responsible for. It made him feel brave.

Chat extended his staff and he flew into the night sky. When he landed at the tower, he was hit with a wave of nostalgia. He thought back to Stoneheart. The first time he used his incredible powers and met his Lady. As he watched the city below him, he saw a figure. He squinted trying to make out who it might be.  
'Who would be out this late at night?' He thought. The figure walked closer to the tower. To Chat, it looked like they were watching him. He slowly made his way back down, trying his best to stay hidden. As he got closer, he realised who it was. Marinette. Marinette was standing there clearly watching him as if she'd seen a ghost.  
He didn't want to bother her, so he started slowly making his way towards the nearest building. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw her face. She had tears in her eyes and her mouth was partially open.  
"Chat..Noir" He heard her whisper. He turned to face her. She was still staring at him.  
Chat walked over to her. He was somewhat scared because he hadn't seen her in years as Chat and he had never seen her this unmoving in his life. She took one small step towards him. Then she took another and another until she was running to him. She threw her arms around him and buried her face in his chest. Chat had no idea what the hell was happening, but he found himself enjoying it.  
"Marinette? Are you....okay?" Chat put his arms around Marinette and just looked at her head. She'd grown out her hair and it was sitting just above her hips. It looked very soft. Marinette shifted in his arms and looked up at him.  
"Why did you just leave? You didn't even say why or when." Marinette spoke so quietly Chat could barely hear her. He thought about what she said. To be honest, he did just up and leave. He didn't tell anyone about Chat leaving Paris for a few years. He didn't even tell Ladybug.  
"To tell you the truth, Marinette," He spoke softly and slowly, "I didn't think anyone would care I was leaving. I honestly don't know why I didn't tell Ladybug or anyone else for that matter. I'm sorry, I should have told you."  
Marinette glanced at his chest, looking like she was about to burst out crying.  
"Why would you think no one would care you were leaving. You're one of Paris' superheroes. I can't count how many lives you've saved or even how many times you've helped me. You're important. You matter." Marinette wasn't looking at him. Chat was staring at her with wide eyes. He was shocked and was flattered by what she'd said.  
They just stood there under the tower, in each others arms.  
Chat felt Marinette yawn against his chest. It was past four in the morning and he was exhausted, apparently so was Marinette.

Chat and Marinette eventually let go of each other. As Marinette started to walk home, she stumbled. Chat immediately scooped her into his arms and once again flew across Paris. He dropped Marinette at her door.  
"It was nice seeing you again, Mari." Chat really meant it. Marinette looked up at him one last time. "Thank you for coming back." She entered her apartment. 

As Adrien detransformed, he thought about Marinette. At his party earlier she'd seemed so stoic and serious. But she was just so emotional only moments ago. "What's up with her?" Adrien muttered to himself as he grabbed a bottle of water from his fridge.  
"What was THAT?!" Plagg was tearing up with laughter. "What? I don't understand." Adrien was trying to find an answer but was failing miserably.  
"You..You go out to see Paris again... AND THEN YOU STARTED HUGGING A RANDOM GIRL IN THE MOST AWKWARD PLACE EVER!" Plagg was trying to contain his laughter.  
"I still don't know what's so funny."  
Plagg just stared at him. "Why do I always get such oblivious humans.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette recalls what happened the night before and goes about her day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so goddamn much for over 900 reads! That's absolutely unbelievable!
> 
> As per usual let me know if I make any grammar errors or if you have any suggestions for my story.

Marinette awoke to the bright light pouring in her open curtain. She rubbed her eyes and sat up. She was still in her clothes from the day before. As she sat up she noticed she was on her couch, instead of her bed. 'How did I fall asleep on my couch, my clothes?' She thought.  
As if all at once, all of the memories of the night before came flooding back like a tidal wave. She recalled walking by the Eiffel Tower to clear her mind after a frustrating day at work. She had been out for hours when she heard the sound of air whooshing past her. She remembered seeing her old partner in crime..or justice in this case, for the first time in years. It felt more like a dream than reality. She remembered running to him and hiding in his chest, feeling as if he'd disappear if she let go of him. She remembered asking him where he went and she remembered his answer, not that she was all happy about his choice of words.  
The last thing she remembered was Chat dropping her home and her thanking him. She must have passed out on the couch before she even reached her room. 

She looked around for her phone to check the time and saw it was eight in the morning. She rubbed her eyes once again and stood up to go to her room. As she opened the door, she saw Tikki , asleep, sprawled out on her bed with an array of books Marinette had never seen before. 'How odd. Tikki never showed much interest in reading before.' She thought. Marinette tidied up the books and placed a small piece of fabric over Tikki to act as a blanket.  
She had a shower and got changed for work and then walked back into her bedroom. Tikki was awake and was folding the piece of fabric. "Good morning, Marinette!" Tikki smiled enthusiastically and tried to ignore the odd feeling she had at the back of her mind. She'd been getting it for about a month, but she didn't want to bother Marinette or make her nervous about something that was probably just her imagination.  
"Morning Tikki! Ready to go? I'll get you some fresh cookies on the way to work."  
Tikki nodded and flew into Marinette's purse. With that, the two left the house

********

Marinette was in her office, trying to focus on her current task, but wasn't doing that well. Marinette kept thinking back to the night before. Chat seemed so happy to be back.  
" Uh, Marinette? Your meeting starts in five minutes but I was wondering if I could show you some of the sketches early?" Nathaniel stood at the door to her office. Marinette looked to him fondly. Nathaniel became a professional artist in Paris. Marinette had asked him if he'd like to try being a sketch artist for clothes, so he started working with her about two years ago. He was excellent at drawing outfits and even better at designing a theme for Marinette's fashion lines.  
"Of course, come on in." She responded. 

Marinette and Nathaniel discussed the designs and then went to the meeting. Unfortunately for Marinette, her mind was a bit preoccupied with more pressing matters. She could already see herself soaring through the sky in an old but good red suit. The second the meeting was over, Marinette excused herself for lunch and left the building. 

Ladybug was seen flying through Paris for the first time in months, and it did not go unnoticed by the public. The press was informed and paparazzi was everywhere. Ladybug just smiled to them and waved. She ran as fast as her legs would allow until she was on top of the Eiffel Tower. She took a deep breath of cool air in. She missed this. After Chat disappeared, her patrols lessened and her career got in the way. She knew she'd end up back here but she had a mission. She needed to find where the hell that cat was.


	6. The ties that bind us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A filler for what happened before chapter 1.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I reached 1000 reads?! Um THANK YOU SO MUCH!
> 
> I really enjoy writing this story and I never would thought I'd get 1000 reads so thank you thank you thank you! 
> 
> Is anyone even still reading this? Okay anyways. On to the story

Marinette would always say she had a special 'bond' with Chat Noir. I suppose it was needed for them to fight together in harmony. But when Chat disappeared, Marinette felt like...she'd lost something. Unfortunately she wouldn't see it again for years to come.

Marinette still recalled the day she lost it. It was a late summer day. The air was warm and the sky was a beautiful gradient of oranges, reds and yellows. It was perfect. Even if only for a second, everything was perfect, and serene.

As Marinette stood up on her balcony she felt as though she was pulled downwards towards the floor. She didn't know what this peculiar feeling was or why it happened. At the time, she associated it with the fact that Adrien was leaving that very day. If that wasn't heartbreaking enough, she then lost all contact with her partner and friend, Chat.

For weeks after that day, Marinette couldn't help but wonder if it was her fault that Chat left. Maybe if she'd tried harder they could've been better friends. Maybe if she'd tried harder he would've told her he was leaving maybe forever. Marinette was forlorn.

She knew he still had the miraculous, or at least he hadn't given it back to Master Fu. God forbid he lost it or it was stolen from him. 

Marinette had visited Master Fu about a month after the disappearance. Fu claimed to have never seen Chat leave or even speak with him.

Marinette wasn't the only one who took his disappearance hard. Rena Rouge, Queen B and Carapace all missed him dearly. Rena had developed a special relationship with him. A friendship. Chat and Carapace were next to inseparable when they weren't fighting an akuma. Queen B was, well, fond of him. She never stopped complaining about their safety and whenever someone got hurt she would always be the first to help.

What Marinette had with Adrien was debatable. She didn't seem to stutter as much in their last year of François Dupont High school. But unfortunately by the time she'd somewhat gotten over her stutter, Adrien was dating someone. That someone was Chloe. Adrien always said he didn't like Chloe that way, but she never seemed to take the hint. 

Chloe ended up dragging Adrien around like a dog for most of their last year. When prom came around, it was obvious who was going with who, other than Marinette and Nathaniel. Nathaniel wasn't even going to go, until Marinette asked him. She only wanted to bring him as a friend but they'd had so much fun together at the dance they decided to go out. 

Unfortunately this didn't last. Marinette's work just started getting recognised in the fashion industry and Nathaniel's art was praised by many patrons, so between starting work and school, they didn't have much time for each other. Marinette did enjoy their little 'fling' but her mind always wandered. She was always jealous of Chloe, despite Adrien saying he was only dating her out of pity. Even so, Marinette couldn't focus whenever Chloe hugged him in front of everyone. 

The first day Chloe announced that she was 'seriously' dating Adrien, was probably the worst day of Marinette's life. She watched everyone rolling eyes at Chloe, making fun of her for making such a big deal out of it as she felt her heart snap into a million pieces. But when everyone wandered off to do something else, Chloe walked up to Marinette and whispered in her ear, "Say bye bye to what little happiness you had left. Sorry, he's mine and always will be".

Marinette told Alya about this the next day, as she had been at the dentist. Alya was so angry she had steam pouring out of her ears. Unbeknownst to Marinette, Alya told Adrien about what Chloe had done, and made Adrien promise not to let Chloe hurt Marinette. Adrien was hurt by the thought of Chloe bullying his friend, so he did everything he could to distract Chloe whenever he saw her getting closer to Marinette.

Adrien was too nice to what few friends he had. He only dated Chloe because his father told him to. He said he could break up with her after a month if he still didn't want to date her. Adrien was still hung up on Ladybug. When Chloe wasn't pestering him, he fantasised about him and his Lady. If only he knew he'd hurt her so much. 

Marinette never was so robot-like. She'd wake up, get dressed, go to school and go home again. She'd never speak unless spoken to and she never stayed in school for longer than she needed to. It got to the point when she wouldn't even respond to Tikki. Alya was freaking out. That made two of them. Alya tried inviting her out to places and asking her if she wanted to come over to her house. Marinette would always use the same excuse. 'Sorry, I have to help my parents.'

Marinette completely shut herself out from the rest of the world. As Ladybug, she barely even payed attention and she'd had more than one close call. Chat had noticed her odd behaviour, but whenever he asked her about it, she would always say she was 'just tired'.

When prom came around, it had been the first time in months that she'd spent so long smiling and laughing. Alya even thanked Nathaniel after. Of course the Tomato child just said he'd had as much fun as she had.

Alya had gone to prom with Nino. Nino said that Adrien seemed kinda out of it. Alix said he'd definitely been staring at someone. Max even confirmed it with a recording of the dance he made as a souvenir.

This got Alya wondering if Adrien had a crush. Unfortunately this thought didn't last too long as she discovered Adrien, didn't just have a crush on, but was in love with Ladybug. Alya kept this from Marinette as she didn't want her to go back to the robot-like state, but she got Nino to try ask Adrien about it. This didn't prove to be too helpful, as Adrien just denied having a crush.

After Adrien left, Marinette questioned herself and decided that she wouldn't let anyone get too close to her heart.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette looks for Chat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to anyone who reads this.
> 
> I really appreciate all the comments and I really hope this chapter will be what ye were hoping for.
> 
> Let me know if there's any grammar errors. 
> 
> I don't own the characters.

Ladybug was sat atop the Eiffel Tower. She watched over the city, looking for a certain cat. News spreads awfully quickly when it refers to superheroes. Alya was working with a newspaper agency. The second she heard about Ladybug being active again she excused herself for lunch and transformed into Rena Rouge. As she left the spot where she transformed, she bumped into Nino. Alya and Nino knew who each other was. They'd told each other their identities after they started dating  
"Al, what are you doing?" Nino was speaking quietly, not to draw attention to them.  
Alya looked at Nino incredulously. "Nino, how haven't you heard? Ladybug is back! Come on, transform! I know you never leave Wayzz home alone." Nino complied. Rena Rouge and Carapace were spotted sprinting over the roofs of Paris.  
Chloé Bourgeois was sitting in Le Grand Paris. She was speaking to a friend over phone. She turned on her TV after her friend told her to. To her surprise, she saw a photo of Ladybug atop a roof.

" I'll talk to you later, bye." Chloe hung up and ran into her bathroom. She grabbed a brush, pulled her hair into a ponytail and transformed. She ran out of her room and took off for the old meeting place. The superhero squad always met up on top of the Eiffel Tower. As she made her way to the tower, she saw Rena Rouge and Carapace on a building parallel to her. They all made their way to the tower. As they reached the top, they saw their old team leader. She was standing there in all her glory. " You... your all here. But why? There's no point. I only came to look for Chat. I know this might be hard to believe, but I saw him. I saw Chat. He was right here. I talked to him as me, not Ladybug."  
All of the other three superheroes had mixed emotions. Chloe was glad he was back, but wanted to be angry at him for abandoning them. Alya was just surprised he came back in the first place but she wanted to kill him for disappearing. Nino was shocked. It was so obvious on his face. All three started talking at once.  
"He was HERE?"  
"Why did he come back?"  
"What did he say?"  
"When did he get back?"  
Marinette shook her head "Guys, guys! Yes he was here, he didn't say why he came back, but he did say that he didn't tell anyone he was leaving because he didn't think anyone would care. He said he was sorry that he left. He got back yesterday. Okay? Is that everyone's questions answered?" Ladybug looked at her old friends. They still seemed surprised to hear about Chat. "Did you all come because you heard I came back?" Ladybug smirked. The three superheroes looks at Ladybug. " You're starting to sound like Chat." Rena sadly pointed out.  
"Let's go find that cat." Ladybug said. With that, the four launched off the tower in formation.  
__________________

Adrien was in his apartment. He got a text from an old friend, Ivan. It read, "You might want to see the news."  
Adrien walked into his living room. He saw Plagg sitting in an empty camembert container. He turned on the TV and he recoiled. All of the superheroes were out. They came back. The news broadcaster said "we are receiving a live message from the superheroes."  
The screen went to Ladybug, Rena Rouge, Queen B and Carapace. "Is-is it on? Yes? Okay, hey Paris! It's The superhero squad here! Some of you might not know who we are, but we defended Paris from supervillians a few years ago. The reason we're here today is because we're looking for an old friend. He knows who he is, and I'm sure some of you know as well. We will be waiting at the Eiffel Tower. If anyone would like to come, feel free but we're looking for Chat Noir. Please, we've all missed you. Please come back." With that the screen went back to the news broadcaster. Adrien recognised her. She was Stormy Weather all that time ago.  
"Oh my god..uh...well you heard it here first! If you want to see the superheroes go to the Eiffel Tower! Chat Noir? If you're watching, don't let them down. You abandoned them once before, don't do it again."

Adrien was stunned. He didn't, couldn't, move. Plagg looked at the screen. "Huh, here I was thinking you said they didn't care if you left or not." Adrien was thinking. Should he go? If he did what would he say? Would they accept him? His mind was racing. "Plagg, let's go."

_____________________

Adrien made his way to the tower. He wasn't all surprised to see some familiar faces. He saw Juleka, Rose, Alix, Kim, Max, Ivan and more. He shimmied his way through the crowd. There was old and young. He made his way to the centre. That's when he saw them. The old crew were all back. He was taken aback. They were all so different. They were all taller, and more mature. Ladybug was facing away from him. Her midnight hair was flowing down her back. He couldn't talk to them but he could stare at them. He was surprised he couldn't see Alya recording for the Ladyblog, which was still online and active. The superheroes took a look around every once in a while. They had hope in their eyes. He knew who they were looking for.  
Adrien made his way back through the crowd and ran to a safe place.

"Plagg, claws out!"


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A somewhat direct follow up from the last chapter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I took so long on this chapter. I had writers block.  
> Happy New year
> 
> I'm on tumblr if you care.
> 
> Mild swearing.
> 
> The start of this chapter was inspired by a movie I watched and love.

The most important part of being a hero is to have a strong sense of family. Some of them don't have a family, so they support the ones that do. Of course having personality helps but you've got to have a power of some sort. Something cool, that contributes to the group or even just yourself.  
But it's not just about the cool superpowers, the snazzy uniforms, or the daring adventures. It's about helping others grow to be better people.

There are a lot of people who were handed a hard life. They never asked for it but are expected to see it through. They do what they can despite what they've experienced. Many of them can't rise above the pain. It's just too hard.

But when the time came, when he transformed, when he finally showed his true self. Adrien Agreste was like a diamond. The most beautiful thing you'd ever see. Of course he still made mistakes, it's part of being human. But he became his best self. 

Some say making a hero of someone is like the earth making diamonds. If you can't take the pressure, you crumble to nothing but dust. Some are lucky enough to become their best self. To become who they are meant to be. 

Some might think Adrien would crumble under the pressure But despite the crushing responsibilities, he became a hero. He finally became comfortable with who he was. He still had problems. Everyone does. But no matter what he was feeling, he put the safety of the civilians above his own health. Both mental and physical. 

He was in his worst hours as a teenager, until he found a peculiar ring. And if a tiny cat told him he was going to be a hero, well he was going to give it a damn good try. And if he went down trying, well, so be it.

_______________________________

Chat Noir emerged from the alley. He was trying not to let his anxieties run wild.  
What would he tell them?  
What could he tell them?  
Would they yell at him?  
Would they make him give up his miraculous? He really hoped not. He wasn't ready to give Plagg up yet. Plagg had been with him for hears, and despite his annoying habits, the tiny cat really cared for his chosen.

It was then that Chat halted on the roof he was on. That's why he was so nervous about seeing them. That's why he didn't show himself sooner. He was scared. Scared of loosing the tiny cat kwami that basically tormented him when he was young.

" I can't believe this." He muttered. "I'm scared of loosing the little shit."  
Adrien felt a tingle go through his ring finger. He smirked knowing Plagg was listening to what he was saying. 

He took two deep breaths and continued on his journey. 

He was around 100 meters from the tower when he stopped. He looked at the crowd. It had at least doubled in size since he ran off to transform. 

He was more nervous about facing the crowd than the superheroes at this point. He hated this feeling. It made him feel small. 

He closed his eyes. He was mentally preparing himself to face them when he received a call on his baton. He looked at who it was from. He was surprised to see Ladybugs logo on his screen.  
Should he pick up?  
They know he's transformed, because they call went through.  
"Oh, fuck it." Adrien said.  
The voice seemed so familiar. He really missed Ladybug.

"H-Hello?" She said. She sounded so timid. So surprised that he actually answered.  
" Hey Ladybug. It's been a while."  
He heard lots of voices come from his baton. He only picked up bits and pieces of what they saying, but it all seemed very frantic.  
" Chat?!...He answered?....let me....come on!... Chat, you still there?"  
Adrien smiled to himself, well aware that the others were trying to talk to him.  
" Yup, I'm not going anywhere from now on."  
He heard lots of sighs. He hoped they were in relief.  
" A-Are you going to come to the tower?"  
He knew that wasn't Ladybug. It was Rena.  
" I, uh, I really don't want to do this in front of the huge crowd right now. Could you maybe make them leave? I know it's a selfish request, but I'm really, really nervous."  
He heard muttering. Lots of it. Then he heard a loud voice yelling to the crowd. He recognised the voice as Carapace. Wow, he really missed them. He looked up from his baton to see the crowd leaving, albeit slowly.  
" Okay, okay they're leaving." Queen B. How could he forget.  
"I- I didn't think I'd be freaking out as I am right now. Look I'll go to the tower, but promise me you won't yell at me or anything, please. I don't think I could handle it right now."  
He heard lots of voices cutting in over each other. He couldn't really hear them but it sounded like promises of some sort.  
"Okay, I-I think I'm ready." Adrien breathed carefully. He felt Plaggs presence in his head, easing his mind.

Chat dropped off the roof he was on and walked up the remaining few meters to the tower. The heroes were looking around desperately at this point. 

Ladybug saw him first. She met his eyes and he felt himself staring at her. She smiled at him. Her eyes lit up. That gave him confidence enough to make his way to the rest of his old team. He didn't break eye contact with Ladybug. He kept moving. He saw her tear up. Was she crying? Why?

At this point all of the team were staring at him and he stopped moving. He was about three meters away from them. They looked like they were going to burst out in tears.

" Hey, guys. Uh, long time no see?" He barely had time to finish that sentence before he was knocked to the ground. He felt people landing on him.  
Oh.  
They were crushing him in a hug.  
He felt a bubbly feeling swell in his chest.  
He missed them.  
So very much.

He looked at who knocked him over. Unsurprisingly, it was Carapace. Well, it was unsurprising to him. The two were next to inseparable when they were teenagers. The next face he saw was Rena. Then Queen B. Then he saw Ladybug. They were still crushing him.  
He realised he couldn't breathe.  
" Uh..c-can't b-breathe." He croaked  
They all looked at him before getting off. Ladybug, in all her glory, offered him a hand. She pulled him to his feet.  
He now had a better look at their faces. They all seemed so happy to see him.  
He finally felt like he was home.  
And he never wanted to leave again.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette gets a visit at work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to thank you all for the great feedback. I appreciate it immensely.

Adrien woke with a smile on his face. It had been awhile. His dreams consisted of his friends, his superhero squad and a certain spotted heroine. 

What did you expect? He didn't expect anything different. 

Adrien sat up. He wasn't sure why he couldn't focus properly these last few days. Since he came back to Paris a few days ago, he hasn't been able to complete even the simplest tasks without his attention being drawn away.

Adrien got out of bed and got ready for the day ahead of him. When he'd showered, got dressed and ate breakfast, he turned on the news. The main story was still all about the superheroes 'miraculous' return.

Plagg eyed Adrien up. He wasn't quite sure what he was feeling, but he knew it wasn't good.

"Hey, Plagg, can I transform for a bit today? I know tthe the jetlag is still bothering you but can we? Please?"

There it was. Plagg instantly felt the peculiar feeling disappear. He sighed overdramatically 

"Ugh, fine. But! You owe me more of the good stuff."  
Plagg stared intently at Adrien, waiting for the answer. 

Adrien just exhaled softly and smirked.  
_______________________________________

Chat Noir leapt across Paris. He stopped on a roof close to his old house. He just looked at it. He wasn't sure what he was feeling but he tried to repress it. Too much emotion was frowned upon.

He reluctantly tore his eyes from the house. He leapt on a bit further. 

Not a care in the world. 

**********  
Marinette was in her office. Her head was in the clouds.

She almost didn't notice Chat flying past her window.

When she'd registered what happened, she stood up. She walked out of her messy office and walked out onto the street. She watched the cat boy get smaller in the distance.

'What am I doing?' She asked herself. 'I need to work. I can't let this sort of thing interrupt my work' She walked back to the entrance of her office.

As she grabbed the door handle, she heard a whisper like sound. She spun around quickly. 

There was no one behind her. She looked back and forth down both directions of the street. She saw a young couple with a stroller, but no one else.

She slowly walked backwards to the door of her office. She felt a tap on her shoulder. She grabbed their arm and flung them over her shoulder with speed that could match Ladybug, despite not having the suit on. 

She heard a thud and then a grunt from the person. She looked at their face, only to recoil in shock when she saw Chat Noir's face.

She dropped his arm and gasped.

" Oh my god, Chat I'm so sorry! I had no idea it was you!" Chat just snickered and stood up, brushing himself off. "Nah, I shouldn't have scared you. Nice reflexes by the way." Marinette avoided eye contact. She chuckled nervously and looked at her feet. "Oh, uh, yeah. I, uh, learned self defence a few years ago." Chat seemed to buy her excuse. "So, uh, what are you doing here?" ************* That was an excellent question. What was he doing here? He honestly didn't really know. He just passed and saw her, and decided to say hello. "I, uh, was passing and thought I'd say hello?" He realised it sounded more like a question but he didn't bother trying to make up for that. She'd clearly heard him so there was no saving him. He heard her giggling. He met her eyes, and yup! She was laughing at him. Great. "It's fine! Really. I was just curious. And I'm not laughing at you, I just had a déja vu moment." He collected himself and smirked at her. "So what I've heard is you're one of the most famous designers in Paris now. How did that happen since our last conversation?" Chat joked. " Well, I guess I got lucky to start. Then it was just lots of hard work. I suppose the same goes for you. With the whole, 'superhero' thing. Speaking of superheroes, we probably shouldn't be seen in public. Come on." Marinette guestured to the door and led him inside her prestigious building. He was led to her personal office. She walked to the phone on her desk, picked it up and he heard her say something about cookies and privacy. A few minutes later, a large plate of fresh cookies were brought to the door by what Adrien guessed was either an assistant or an intern. Marinette led him to two large, soft sofas on the west side of the room, which had a perfect view of the city. She set the cookies on the coffee table and sat down. "So, how have you been?" Marinette asked. Chat sat down and instantly sank into the chair. " I've been alright I guess. I mean the other day was one of the best days of my 'adult' life, but other than that, I've only been 'alright'." Chat grabbed one of the cookies. He munched on it as Marinette eyed him carefully. She didn't want to pry, bit she wanted to try and help. "You don't have to tell ne, but I can help if you'd like." Chat knew that he could talk to her. She was very patient. She still was the same friendly person he used to know, despite her lack of visible emotion. She'd gotten a lot harder to read. But he understood. He'd cut himself off too. _________________________ Thirty minutes later they were still talking. About anything and everything. It was comfortable. After another bit, his miraculous beeped. He thanked her and left through the huge window in her magnificent office. He was in a much better mood now than he was. That's for sure.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Plagg and Adrien chat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We hit 3000 hits! Thank you so much!
> 
> Only a short chapter today. I didn't have lots of time, so I wrote this filler chapter. 
> 
> I'm really thankful for all the positive comments. That's what has been encouraging me to continue this story.
> 
> I was also wondering if you would read a musical chapter? I was listening to some good music and I had a thought about it.
> 
> If you want a musical chapter, please say so in the comments

Plagg looked up from his cheese to eye his chosen carefully. As the kwami looked Adrien up and down, Adrien looked up from his phone

"What?" Adrien looked at Plagg curiously. 

Plagg blinked twice then sighed.  
"Why do you look so happy?"

The question caught Adrien off guard. How do you respond to something like that?  
He eyed the tiny god before answering.

"I...don't know what you mean."

Plagg sighed once before trying again.

"Only two weeks ago, you were a pouty, grumpy mess. Today, you seem content and you haven't complained to me once about anything."

Adrien furrowed his brow.

"Why do you care about me complaining to you?"

Plagg just stared at him in the eye.

"You are my chosen, and therefore I'm obligated to care about you and your little mortal problems."

Adrien noted that the statement didn't sound natural, almost like Plagg had said it over a million times before.

"Uh, I suppose I'm glad to be back? And I'm not at school or surrounded by people I don't really care about. I don't know."

Plagg looked Adrien up and down again.

"So there's no other reason to why your not being as pissy as you were a few weeks ago."

Plagg had a tone to his voice that made Adrien mildly uncomfortable. 

"Not off the top of my head, no?" Adrien looked at Plagg with question in his eyes.

Plagg sighed overdramatically.  
"Oh, come on. There's obviously a reason. THINK."

Adrien started upon noticing Plagg was no longer being patient with him.

"...uh.."

Plagg looked at Adrien exasperatedly.  
" Why? What did I do to deserve this?" He thought. 

"Am I going to have to spell it out for you?"

Adrien's eyebrows got closer to his eyes.

"Sure? Why not try."

Plagg took a deep breath and a bite of cheese.

"You're happy because you finally saw her again." Plagg put extra emphasis on the 'her'.

Adrien's eyebrows shot up to his hairline. 

"Are you saying I'm happy because I saw Marinette again? Because I wouldn't say that's the only reason."

Plagg noticed that Adrien never noticed his words.

"Adrien?"

"..yes?"

"You do realise I never said 'Marinette', right?"

Adrien inhaled sharply upon hearing this 

"I....uh.."

Plagg chuckled as he saw colour make its way onto Adrien's face.

"Hey!" Adrien yelled.

"I'm not laughing at you, lover boy, don't worry about it."

With that, Plagg flew out of the room to get more cheese, while Adrien was left in the living room, standing dumbfounded. 

"What the hell?"  
Adrien whispered.  
********************

Plagg knew this would come back to bite him. He knew Adrien wouldn't rest until he had justified himself, no matter how bad his arguments were.

Plagg loved this. He loved getting a reaction from Adrien, purely because the man was so dang funny when he overreacted. 

Plagg sighed contently into his cheese. As interesting as their dynamic was, Plagg really cared for Adrien. 

Even though he knew Adrien would tease him for it if he ever told him. But still. That's not the point.

Plagg sat comfortably on the couch as he watched a frustrated, red-faced Adrien stomp around the living room. 

Plagg fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know if you'd like a musical chapter.
> 
> Until next time!


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette gets a spook on Valentines day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the feedback!
> 
> Sorry I took so long to update.
> 
> Hope you like this chapter.

Marinette sat up and yawned loudly. As she stood up, she started humming, which did not go unnoticed by Tikki.

She watched as Marinette walked to her bathroom. As the door closed, Tikki got up and looked out the window. "I wonder what's gotten her so chipper?" She mumbled to no one in particular.

She flew out of Marinettes bedroom and into the kitchen to get something for Marinette to eat. As she was grabbing an apple, she heard Marinette open her bedroom door.

"Oh! Tikki! Sorry if I woke you."

Tikki handed Marinette the apple.

"Oh, it's alright! But I did enjoy hearing you hum. It's been a while since you've hummed while getting ready for the day. Any reason?"

Marinette looked thoughtful for a moment before responding.

"I don't know. It's just been a while since I've seen so many old friends, you know? Like, I didn't so much as text any of my old classmates for what feels like years, even Alya was asking me why. I couldn't find an answer. I also haven't spoken to the whole 'superhero squad' since about two weeks after Chat left. It's just nice seeing so many old friends after so long, even though it's fault for not trying harder with any of them. It's just weird seeing everyone again in such a small space of time." 

Marinette looked away with shame obvious in her eyes. Tikki felt herself flying over to pet Marinette's cheek before she even so much as thought about it. Marinette didn't care though. 

She took a deep breath and shook her head, before looking at a now floating Tikki with a smile. 

"Thanks for not lecturing me on why I should've tried talking to them sooner, or whatever."

Tikki nodded, and looked at the clock behind Marinette.

" Oh! Marinette, you'll be late if you wait much longer!"

Marinette smirked.

" What are they gonna do? Fire me? It's my company!"

Marinette started giggling as she saw recognition flash across Tikki's eyes. 

" Sorry! Old habits die hard." 

"It's fine! But still, let's go." 

Marinette opened her purse for Tikki and took a bite of the apple before leaving her warm house, making sure to lock the door, as she always does.

As she pulled her car out of the driveway, she thought about what Tikki had said. 'Old habits die hard.' 

Marinette knew Tikki was referring to when she was younger, in François Dupont, but it had been years since Tikki last made that mistake. 'Hopefully it was nothing.' She thought, 'Hopefully it was just Tikki making a simple mistake. Everyone makes them.' 

Marinette hit the brakes hard. She felt her head collide with the steering wheel, then fly back and hit the headrest. She opened the door to her car to see a huge collision of four other cars up ahead. 

She nearly crashed into the four of them. All because she payed just a little too much attention to two sentences her kwami had said earlier that day. 

Marinette fumbled with her purse clasp and pulled out her phone with the help of an equally shaken Tikki, and dialed her secretary.

" Hello Marinette, how can I help you this morning?" 

"I can't come into the office today, there's a huge crash on the only road in to the city. I also haven't been feeling quite myself since a few moments ago. I would appreciate it if you would reschedule my two meetings and tell the chauffeur from last week to pick my car up for me. It's on the road by the bridge, thank you." 

With that, Marinette hung up and put her phone back in her purse. She locked her car and crossed the road. 

"Marinette? Are you feeling alright? You look very pale." 

Marinette shook her head and looked forward, starting to walk back to her warm, safe home, rubbing her sore forehead. 

"I'm just a little shaken up, is all. It's not everyday that you nearly crash into a bunch of cars on your way to work. But don't worry about me though. I'm fine"

Marinette unlocked her door and strolled in, taking her shoes off at the door. She placed her purse on the kitchen counter before walking to her room to change back into her pyjamas. 

____________________ 

Marinette pulled her phone out of her purse and texted Alya. 

**Mari** : Alya? Can u come over? I don't want to be by myself right now. 

About a minute later, she felt her phone buzz. 

_Alyaaaa_ : R u ok? i'll be right over. Make sure u have ice cream. 

Marinette didn't understand that last part but still checked her freezer anyway, because if Alya says to 'have ice cream', she means 'you must have ice cream or you'll regret it.' 

Marinette opened the door to see Alya, in pyjamas, holding two bags filled with stuff Marinette couldn't quite see. 

"What's all this?" 

Marinette asked, looking at the bags in Alya's hands. 

" In this one," 

Alya said, placing the bag in her right hand down on the coffee table, "has blankets, cheesy movies and hot water bottles. This one,"

Alya said, once again placing the bag in her hand on the coffee table, "has chocolate, cookies, popcorn and all of the ingredients for a banana split, but ice cream. You do have some, right?"

Marinette gaped at all of the things Alya brought. " Uh..yeah. Yeah I have ice cream." 

Twenty minutes later, the two girls were getting severe brain freezes and were watching some cheesy romance movie Marinette couldn't remember the name of. 

After the two cleaned up their bowls and turned off the movie, Marinette explained why she asked Alya to come over, which was followed by hugs and questions about her wellbeing.

" Marinette, I am so sorry. I really hope you're not too shaken up. I know for sure I would be." 

"It's fine, I didn't hit the cars, and I'm not hurt, but I'm just a little shaken up." 

"It's settled then." 

"What is?" 

"I'm staying over tonight and you can't say no." 

Marinette smiled as Alya popped some chocolate into her gaping maw. 

" Alright, alright. Hey! Wanna play some Ultimate Mecha Strike?!"

"Oh, you're so on!" With that, a glorious battle begun.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A figure appears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking so long to update, I had some serious writers block.

(Unknown pov)

It's been so long since I was last in Paris. I wonder if anyone remembers me.

I know at least one person remembers me, but that's because....well, it's personal.

I'm curious to know how a certain someone is. I've heard lots of wonderful things about them. It's not that surprising. 

She always was so talented. I never stuck around long enough to see how well she would actually do.

I suppose that was a bad idea, especially because she's one of the reasons I'm considering returning. 

'Considering' is the key word there. I'm not so sure how two certain people will take to my return, especially since one of them was always interrupting our conversations, constantly looking for a way to come between us.

I guess you could say I 'liked' her. Some people warned me. They told me she was quite sought after, with people like Nino and Nathaniel. 

But they were fools. They barely knew anything about her. But I knew her. I knew her very well. 

That might sound creepy, but I know it isn't. It isn't creepy because we were excellent friends.

I liked her, no, I still like her.

We could have been something, if it wasn't for him. I saw how she looked at him. I knew.

But I thought if we became friends, maybe she'd draw her eyes away from him.

I was young and I was a fool.

Even I know you can't easily draw your eyes from those who have caught it.

It's like a fish, whose stuck on a hook. It can thrash around and it can attempt to escape, but the fisherman doesn't give it enough time.

It's been years. Surely, at this point in time, she isn't still stuck on the hook of his fishing rod.

That's what I'm hoping for.

At least this time around, it shouldn't be so hard for me to draw her in. You see, now I have help. 

"Isn't that right, Duusu?"


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The same figure is tempting the inevitable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WE HIT 5000 VIEWS! 
> 
> What in the fresh hell. How?
> 
> Thank you so much!

(Unknown pov )

Duusu really has played such a large part in my decision to return to Paris.

I found her by chance, when I was young.

Adrien had planned a sleepover. Surprisingly he was actually allowed to host it, purely because Gabriel was out of town.

We were all sleeping in his room, and it was quite late at this point. I couldn't sleep. Insomnia is a terrible thing. I saw Adrien sneak out of the room. To this day I still don't know why he did. Arguably, I could easily find out , but that's another story.

I got up after he left and walked downstairs. I found myself in a beautifully decorated room, with a huge computer and a painting of what I assume was Adrien's mother.

Something about the painting didn't sit right with me, so I walked up to it, and noticed that I wasn't properly mounted to the wall. 

I knew nothing in that house would be out of order for no reason, so I tried moving the painting, which moved aside to reveal a safe.

I won't lie in saying I knew how to crack a safe from experience. The safe popped open and all I saw was some useless junk. 

I knew that the Gabriel Agreste would never have a safe so well hidden, yet in plain sight, without something of value in it. I just wanted answers.

I glanced through it again, and my eyes were drawn to a small, blue broach, shaped like a peacocks feathers. I don't know what it was about it, but I couldn't take my eyes off it.

I heard footsteps approaching, so I grabbed it, closed the safe, and ducked out of view.

I wasn't that surprised when Adrien walked in. He looked around suspiciously, but walked out again.

I snuck up to the room again, but when I got back, Adrien wasn't there. I took it as he was looking for whoever he'd heard downstairs, but he came back into the room only a few minutes later, smelling very strongly of cheese. Such a peculiar boy.

It was the next day, when I went back home, that I discovered what the broach had been doing in the safe.

Magic. It was magic. The very same magic as Ladybug, Chat Noir, and Rena Rouge at the time.

So I had a hunch I could join them. Maybe help from the sidelines or something. But I was sent away again.

While I was away, I had plenty of time to practice what I could do. I quickly found out what my 'special move', was. I was given the ability to time travel. Well, by that I mean I could see the past and the present, and only some bits of the future.

If I tried hard enough, I could cause things from the past to come to the present, for a short time.

I started with something small. A pen I'd lost three years ago. I used my ability to see when I'd lost it.

It was an out-of-body experience, though. If I was to describe it, it was like standing in the same room as a younger version of myself, only younger me couldn't see me.

I actually learned quite a lot of interesting things from this power.

I used it to see the day Ladybug and Chat Noir appeared for the first time. I even saw Hawkmoth's layer! Unfortunately, though, I didn't have enough power at the time to see who he was. I discovered that at a later date.

I used it whenever I missed Juleka. I looked back to when we were children. I used it when I was curious about things throughout history. I even looked at Marie Antoinette as she was being guillotined. It was quite the thrilling experience. 

Sometimes, if I'm really angry, or really upset, I look back to before the universe existed. I just float gently. 

I guess you could say I was breathing air of the present but living in the past. It's a poetic way to look at it.

As I said, I learned some majorly serious things that could get me into huge problems. Secrets I shouldn't know.

I know who Hawkmoth was. I know who all of the superheroes in Paris are. I know so much, and I can't breathe a word of it to anyone.

Duusu is such a wonderful kwami. So quiet, but quick to stop me if I do something wrong. So helpful.

I transformed the other day. I tried using my powers to see into the future. It only works when I'm really desperate for answers, so I thought it would work.

All I saw was that I was in Paris.

That's it.

So, now I'm on my laptop, looking for a cheap aeroplane ticket. 

Well, no going back now, I guess.

"Ticket confirmed. Hear that Duusu? We're going back to Paris."

I guess I should start packing.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An awakening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I took so long to update.
> 
> Please let me know what you think!
> 
> Please keep in mind I won't be staying canon compliant, but I will reference the akumas in season 2.

Tikki woke with a start. The odd headache had resurfaced again. It had been a while since she last had it, so she wasn't expecting it. 

It was a familiar feeling. She couldn't quite put her finger on where she'd felt it before. She just knew it had been ages.

Tikki yawned loudly. She looked to the clock on Marinette's bedside table. It read 6:15." What an odd time to wake up." Tikki thought.

Tikki flew into the kitchen to grab a cookie. If she was awake, she might as well stay up.

_____________________

Plagg blinked his eyes open. He had a bad headache. It was worse than he remembered. 

" Ugh. Of course." He moaned as he dragged himself to the small kitchen in Adrien's apartment. He ripped open the fridge and dug into a box of camembert.

"When did I last get this headache? Come on, think! Brain? Are you listening brain? I know I don't use you for much, but I need your help with this."

Plagg desperately searched his head.

He gasped loudly and nearly choked on his camembert. 

" Oh no. I really hope I'm wrong about this."

Plagg flew into Adrien's room and sat on Adrien's head. He started yelling.

"Adrien! Wake up! ADRIEN!"

Adrien woke up slowly. When he saw Plagg, he groaned exaggeratedly.

" Plagg, there's cheese in the fridge! It's way too early for this."

Plagg rolled his eyes.

" Adrien, this is important.", he said with a seriousness that made Adrien worried. 

"What's wrong?"

Plagg sighed deeply.

" The peacock miraculous has awoken, but it's not a good thing. I can feel it. Duusu knows their holder is up to no good."

Adrien's eyes expanded.

" We need to tell the others. Claws out!"

_____________________

"Alya! Alya! We have a major problem!"

Alya awoke to Trixx's yelling. She rubbed the sleeps from her eyes and sat up. 

"What's wrong?"

"Alya! I was talking with Wayzz, and his expression changed so fast. I asked him what was wrong, and he said the peacock has awoken! And that it's a dark energy! Duusu is being used for evil! Come on!"

Trixx was speaking so fast an almost completely exhausted Alya could barely keep up with her.

"Wait, WHAT?! Where's Nino?!"

"In the living room with Wayzz."

"Come on!"

Alya leapt out of bed.  
_______________

Nino was up extra early to work on a mix he was making. He was stretching his arms over his head, when Wayzz flew up to him frantically. 

" Master! Master!"

" Little dude, we've been over this a million times, you can call me Nino."

"Sorry, force of habit. But there's a problem! A huge problem!"

Nino sat up and turned to face his kwami.

" What's going on?"

"The peacock miraculous! It has awoken, but it's energy is that of Hawkmoth's all those years ago! It means it's being used for evil. Poor Duusu."

Nino's eyes flickered with uncertainty. What was he supposed to do? He was the 'new protector" of the miraculous, but he was only protecting his and the butterfly miraculous. 

"What am I supposed to do?!"

"For now, wait, but be on high alert. We don't know when the peacock will attack, if ever."

Nino nodded. "I think we need to hold a little meeting today."

Wayzz nodded and flew off to get Alya.

"Nino? What are we supposed to do?" Alya said, upon running into the room.

"We need to gather the crew. Transform and try to contact them. Their kwamis should get our messages to them."  
_______________

"Hello? Chat, what are you doing up this early? Never mind, look we're meeting up at the Eiffel Tower in fifteen minutes. Can you come? There's an urgent matter we need to discuss."

"Don't worry, Carapace, I'll be there."

"Great, see you then."  
____________________

"Hey, B, It's Rena, everyone's meeting at the usual spot in like ten minutes, if you can come, please do, we have a serious problem."

_____________________

"Hey LB, it's Carapace, we have a huge situation, and we need you at the Eiffel Tower in around ten minutes. Please try to make it, it's urgent."  
_____________________

Pollen awoke early to get herself ready for the day. She wasn't your average kwami, she liked to make herself extra pretty.

" Hey, Chloe? I think we have a problem."

"What is it, Pollen?"

Pollen flew up to Chloe and sat on her shoulder.

" Rena has tried to contact you, like three times. Come on, transform. This might be really important."

_________________

Marinette woke up and walked to the bathroom. After she got out of the shower, she walked into her kitchen. 

" Tikki? What are you doing up this early?"

Tikki was sat atop the cookie jar with a concerned face.

"Tikki, what's wrong?"

" Marinette, Carapace has been trying to contact Ladybug. I fear the worst. You should transform and find out what's going on."

Marinette looked at the stern face on Tikki.

"Of course. Tikki, spots on!"


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A meeting and a bit of marichat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to all the people who comment on this story. I appreciate it more than you think.

The superheroes gathered at the top of the Eiffel Tower. Rena and Carapace were the first two there, followed by Chat, then Queen B, and finally Ladybug. 

" Ok, what's going on?" Queen B asked.

All the others exchanged looks. Carapace and Rena stepped forward.

"Wayzz has told us that the peacock has awoken. It apparently is an energy that could rival Hawkmoth's."

Ladybug looked up to meet Chat's eyes. 

" When Hawkmoth first started terrorising Paris, how did you two know it was someone causing Stone Heart, and not Ivan acting alone?" Carapace asked.

" I...We didn't. We just knew we had to help Ivan. We didn't find out that Stone Heart was a puppet to Hawkmoth until the end of the fight." Ladybug said.

Chat looked to the others. Then to Rena and Carapace specifically. 

" I have a question for you two. Do you know who each other is? You both seemed to have the same story."

Rena looked at Chat. " It doesn't really make a difference, but yes, we do."

Queen B, Ladybug and Chat looked at them simultaneously. 

" It does though." Ladybug said. Her forlorn voice caught Chat's attention. 

"We don't know what this persons motives are, if they even have any. If they were to capture any of us, which is more likely than you think, they could ask questions. If their energy is that of Hawkmoth's, we don't know what they're capable of. They easily could have powers we don't know about that could force us to tell the truth. What then? We just can't be sure."

The others looked at her in a somewhat shocked expression. 

"I've had a lot of time to think about this. Don't ask."  
___________________

The rest of the meeting was mostly the superheroes deciding to keep their kwamis on them at all times, and to stay on high alert.  
___________________

Ladybug leapt into an alley to detransform. 

As Marinette walked out of the alley, she looked to Tikki, who was sitting quietly in her purse.

" Hey Tikki, do you think this will end well for us? I'm honestly really worried."

"I don't know what to tell you, Marinette. I wish I could say everything was for sure going to be okay, but I don't know. It's been so long since I was this uncertain. I don't know how this will play out, but we need to be prepared for anything. I should--EEP"

Marinette looked up when Tikki dived to hide in her bag. Chat Noir was walking along the empty street.

He didn't seem to notice her there, so she approached him.

"Hey there, what are you doing here?"

Chat looked her in the eye for a second.

" Nothing, just thinking, I guess."

" Are you alright?"

"I...I don't know."

Marinette was about start talking again, when it started raining. She looked up at the sky, letting the raindrops hit her face.

Chat was staring at Marinette. Her head was tiled upwards, to catch the raindrops. He knew he was blushing, but he couldn't help it 

Her long, midnight hair was flowing down her back, sparkling with the rain. Her blush dimples from her smile. Her sky blue eyes twinkling, seeing. He wanted to stand there for hours just taking in her features. 

" Oh shit." He thought. " I'm so screwed."

Marinette looked to Chat to see him looking at her, awestruck. His face was slightly blushy, but she blamed it on the humidity. 

" Come on, we can't stay out here. We'll get soaked."

Marinette started walking in the direction of her home. Chat followed her.

As she walked up to her door, she unlocked it and walked in, with Chat right behind her. As she walked in, she took off and hung up her jacket.

Chat noticed her house was very warm. Very welcoming and comfortable. 

Marinette opened a cupboard in the corner of her living room and pulled out two towels. She handed one to him.

" I know leather takes ages to dry off naturally. Also, your hair is soaked."

Chat thanked her and started patting his suit dry. He then proceeded to massage his head with the towel.

When he was finished, he left the towel sit on his head. It was warm, and he was cold. He could already feel his nose running and he was shivering slightly. 

" Hey, give me that. You'll get a cold if you leave that on for too long."

She grabbed the towel from his head and he whined at the lack of warmth. 

She walked out of the room and returned a few minutes later in pyjamas, holding two mugs of hot tea, and she had a blanket thrown over one shoulder.

" Here, it's very hot, so be careful."

She handed him one of the mugs and sat down next to him.

He sipped the tea carefully.

"Hey, I..Thank you." He said.

"What's wrong? Why were you standing in the middle of that street?"

Chat turned to fully face her.

"Have you ever been really scared something might go horribly wrong for you?"

" We that was specific. But yes, more times than I can count. Why?"

Chat looked away. He sipped his tea again.

" I don't want to worry you, but something is coming. I don't know what, but I know it's bad. Like, Hawkmoth level bad. And to put it straight, I'm absolutely terrified."

Marinette looked at him for a beat.

He really must care, if he is literally warning something terrible is coming 

"I think you need to take a deep breath. You defeated Hawkmoth before, so even if this person is as bad, I'm sure you can beat them. Trust me."

Chat looked at her. He did trust her.

"...ok. Ok. Yeah it'll be alright."

Marinette smiled and took his empty mug, placing it on her coffee table. She threw the blanket over the two of them and she grabbed her TV remote.

"I don't think the rain will let up for a while. Wanna watch a movie or something? "

Chat looked at her thankfully. 

" Yeah, sounds good."


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luka arrives in Paris. 
> 
> (Luka's pov)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *inhale*
> 
> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR 6000 HITS!
> 
> I honestly can't believe it. Thank you all so much!

So, I arrived in Paris this morning. The flight was quite shorter than I expected.

On the plane over, I noticed Duusu was much quieter than usual. It might be that the new guardian is in Paris. Oh, Nino, what a character. A DJ kid turned guardian of the miraculous. That must've been hard on such a usually chill person.

When the plane touched down and everyone started getting off, hilariously, someone complimented my blue broach. They said it 'suited my appearance.'

It's probably my hair. Surprisingly, I didn't dye it a new colour since childhood. I guess it was my tether. The reminder that I can stand out from the crowd.

But enough meaningful stuff.

Due to the fact that my plane was early, my hotel room wasn't ready yet, so I decided to have a little walk around Paris.

Oh, the nostalgia. The bakery, the school, that hotel. So little has changed. So many pointless alterations would've only enraged me a few years ago, but now I encourage change. After all, lots of things have changed drastically for me. But there's no need to go into detail.

I passed the old harbour my mother parked the ship at. Part of me still misses the Liberty. But no matter. Emotions don't matter. Not to me.  
___________________________

When I finally got into my hotel room, I put the little 'do not disturb' sign on my door.

"Duusu, transforme-moi!"

It's been a while since I've spoken French. I suppose I'll have to go over it again if I will be staying in Paris for a while.

I sat cross legged on the floor.

I slowly spoke the incantations.

The hotel room melted away, and I was surrounded by white.

" The future. Show me what it has to offer for me."

The white faded into navy skies and bright Parisian lights. Nighttime. I looked around as best I could.

The Eiffel Tower. I will be standing on the Eiffel Tower.

"Why? When? What problem would I have to attend to on the Eiffel Tower? "

Slowly the ground below me became more visable. Colour. Bright colours. No, silhouettes. Of people? Not just any people, the superheroes. Ladybug, Carapace, Rena Rouge, Queen B. I didn't expect to be able to see Chat in the dark, because the edgelord only ever wears black, but there he stands. The furthest away.

The image fades to white, and then I'm sitting in the hotel room again.

After I detransformed, Duusu spoke up for the first time since landing here.

"That lasted longer than usual. You are getting more skilled at this. I applaud you."

"Why, thank you Duusu. I have a question for you, though. How many possible futures could you just have shown me?"

Duusu closed their eyes for three seconds straight.

"16,783, at the bare minimum."

"And which number did you just show me?"

" 7893."

I thought about that for a second. In the past, the futures I saw would be based on my actions leading up to that point. This time was clearly no different.

So in this particular future, I revealed myself to the heroes. But how long it took to get to that point is another question.

Oh well, I might as well start having my fun.

"Duusu, are you ready for this? Transforme-moi!"  
____________________

As I leapt across Paris, I made sure not to be spotted. The only thing worse than being seen by a passer by would be if the passer by was either Chloe, Marinette, Adrien, Nino or Alya. They are probably on high alert.

I landed at the window of Adrien's house. He wasn't in at the moment, so it was a perfect time for me to get inside and mess something up.

I carefully opened his window and slipped in.

I honestly thought he'd have something a bit more lavish, seeing as he's the son of Gabriel Agreste/Hawkmoth.

I was walking into his bedroom when something caught my eye. A safe. A very high quality safe, at that.

It was "hidden" in his wardrobe, but it was only in behind a small pile of shirts.

I won't say why, but I know my way around opening a safe without the code.

I opened the door and took the contents out.

A letter of resignation, an electricity bill....boom!

I tossed the other letters aside and removed the paper from it's envelope.

" Oh, Adrien, this will be good."

The letter read in all capitals,  
"HAWKMOTH WAS A TERRORIST, AND BY LAW, AS HIS SON, YOU ARE TO BE OUT OF THIS COUNTRY PERMANENTLY. WE DON'T NEED ANY MORE TROUBLE IN FRANCE."

No wonder Adrien had such a small living space. He wasn't even supposed to be in France!

I might keep this letter, for future purposes.

I used a handy little spell I learned to rearrange everything in the wardrobe to be back where it was before I came in. How lucky I was to get the miraculous that's main power was time.

As I was leaving through the window, I heard the front door opening. Time sure is on my side.  
________________

I leapt across the rooftops heading to my next destination when I heard footsteps from somewhere in front of me.

I ducked behind a chimney and cautiously looked to where the sound came from.

Well, would you guess it was Rena Rouge and Carapace just standing on the roof like they owned the building. When they started talking, I listened in carefully.

I didn't manage to pick up on anything juicy, but I did hear a few things.

"Do you think Ladybug was right, Nino? Should we have been more careful with our identities?"

" It's too late to change that now, but probably. Just remember, if we hadn't told each other, we'd still be making dumb excuses whenever we disappeared."

"...yeah, ok. It's not like we haven't grown closer since learning our identities. And Hawkmoth never tried to use us against each other. I'm just so glad Hawkmoth is gone. I never want to see that stupid miraculous again."

"I'll just keep it right where I always do, and you'll never have to see it again."

I just wish he'd said where he leaves it. It would've made my job so much easier.

I waited for them to move before I used my ability.

The world faded to white again.

" Show me the past. I wish to see Nino hiding the butterfly miraculous."

The white faded once again.

The room was large. A double bed seated neatly in the centre. Nino was sat atop it, holding the butterfly miraculous.

" Well, this is my first job as guardian. Keep this safe." He spoke.

He placed it in an intricate box and placed it in an old take out bag. He slid it under his bed.

What a clever move. Make it seem as though it's unimportant to sway those who see it.

_______________

I bounded across the night sky. It was four in the morning. I needed both Nino and Alya to be sound asleep.

I crept into their bedroom and tiptoed to the side of the bed. I looked under, but there wasn't anything there.

I nearly cursed, but I'm glade I didn't because Alya rolled on her other side as I stood up.

That could have been bad. If it wasn't in their bedroom, where would it be? I examined the room around me.

 

This wasn't the same bedroom. This one was even bigger than the one I saw in the vision.

I crept out of the bedroom and slipped down the hall.

Looking around I realised that there was three bedrooms. I'm guessing two were for guests.

I peeped into the closest one and looked around. This room was too small to be it, but I still checked the bed anyway. Nothing.

I walked up to the last room. It had to be this one.

I tried opening the door, but it was locked. I tugged on it twice. It didn't budge.

Thankfully not only do I know how to crack a safe, I also know how to pick locked doors.

I stepped into the room. It was definitely this one. I walked over to the bed and looked under.

There it was. A disgustingly mundane take out bag.

I grabbed it, expecting a trap of some sort, but nothing happened. I opened the bag and removed the box.

I opened it and there it was. The butterfly miraculous.

I took the miraculous out and closed the box. I placed the box back in the slightly mouldy bag, and put it back under the bed.

I locked the door and slipped out of the window I'd left a crack open.

"Heh.."

I jumped to the roof of the neighbouring house and took off for my hotel room.  
_________________

I arrived back in my hotel room and detransformed.

I gave Duusu something to eat and then looked at the butterfly miraculous very carefully. It was hard to believe that this little thing was so powerful.

I picked it up and tied it to my shirt.

A purple ball of light appeared and a small butterfly shaped kwami emerged from the light.

It looked up at me cautiously then ducked it's head.

"Hey," I said in my most soothing voice, "what's wrong little one."

It looked up at me curiously, and it's eyes stopped at the peacock miraculous.

" You have the peacock...where is Duusu?"

Duusu flew up to my shoulder and waved down at the little butterfly.

" Oh my.....I don't know where I am. The last thing I remember is being torn away from Gabriel. Do you know what happened?"

" As a matter of fact, I do. My name is Luka, by the way. So the superheroes of Paris defeated Gabriel, and ripped you off of him. He was arrested and he died a few years ago."

The kwami flinched when I said that Gabriel died.

" Anyway, you were taken by Carapace. He hid you away and I rescued you from him and the other superheroes. They were going to use you against Paris. I know, because I heard them say it. I used Duusu's power to show me."

The kwami looked terrified at first, but then it turned to gratitude.

" Thank you, brave holder. My name is Nooroo. I am the kwami of the butterfly, the miraculous of champions. It would be my honour to serve you."

" Of course. I have a question for you. Can I use both my miraculous at once? I need more power if I'm to defeat the other superheroes."

Nooroo looked thoughtful for a moment.

" You should be able to. We can try it now, if you'd like?"

" Yes, I would."

"Dark wings, rise! That's how you transform."

"Nooroo, dark wings, rise! Duusu, transforme-moi!"

The rust of that was me feeling incredibly powerful, and my hotel room was surrounded by white butterflies.

I looked in the mirror.

My usual blue suit was mixed with gorgeous purples, and my peacock feather fan was mixed with a cane to become a beautiful staff.

I felt a sudden urge to create an akuma.

" Screw it. I might as well let Paris know I exist."


End file.
